KR20150074169A - See through near-eye display - Google Patents

Abstract

Various embodiments include a near-eye display having a transmissive display and a diffractive microlens array. The transmissive display may also be positioned relative to the diffractive microlens array so that the distance between the transmissive display and the diffractive microlens array is approximately equal to the focal length of the diffractive microlens array. The transmissive display can be positioned relative to the diffractive microlens array such that a certain fraction of the emitted light from the transmissive display is diffracted by the microlens array and collimated to the focal point on the retina of the human eye. The transmissive display may be further positioned relative to the diffractive microlens array such that light from the real scene passes through the transparent portion of the transmissive display and is diffracted by the microlens array out of the focal spot of the human eye.

Description

{SEE THROUGH NEAR-EYE DISPLAY}

This application relates generally to displays for computing devices, and more particularly to a near-eye display that allows the human eye to simultaneously focus on real images and computer generated images that can overlap with the actual images.

Cellular and wireless technologies have exploded over the past few years. Currently, cellular service providers provide a variety of features and services that provide unprecedented levels of access to information, resources, and communications to their users. In order to keep pace with this service enhancement, mobile electronic devices (e.g., cellular phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) have become more feature rich and are currently generally used in powerful processors, graphics hardware, GPS) receivers, and various other components for connecting users to friends, work, leisure activities, and entertainment. Because of these improvements, mobile device users can now run powerful software applications on the user's mobile device, such as an augmented reality software application that combines the actual image in the user's physical environment with the computer generated image. As a result of these and other improvements, mobile devices have become available everywhere and mobile device users now expect to access content, data and communications anytime, anywhere.

Due to the almost continuous access to mobile devices present everywhere and the applications they provide, mobile device users are becoming more involved with their mobile devices and are less aware of their physical environment. For these and other reasons, consumers will benefit from electronic displays that enable mobile device users to focus on their physical environment and computer generated images / content at the same time.

The near-eye display of an embodiment may include a transmissive electronic display and a diffractive microlens array configured to diffract a proportion of the incoming light to form a virtual image of the display at a distance of 250 mm or more in the user's eye, The distance between the display and the microlens array is approximately the focal length of the microlens array. The diffractive microlens array may be partially diffractive and partially transparent. The transmissive electronic display can include a plurality of pixels and the diffractive microlens array can be positioned relative to the pixels such that about 50% of the light emitted from each pixel is diffracted to the focal point on the retina of the user's eye. The transmissive electronic display may comprise a plurality of transparent portions and the diffractive microlens array may be configured and positioned relative to the transmissive electronic display such that light from a remote scene passes unaltered through the transparent portion of the transmissive display. The diffractive microlens array can be positioned relative to the transmissive electronic display such that about 50% of the light from the real scene passes through the diffractive microlens array to form an image in the retina. The diffractive microlens array can be positioned relative to the transmissive electronic display such that about 50% of the light from the real scene is diffracted by the microlens array and out of focus of the user's retina. Diffractive microlens arrays can be fabricated on glass substrates and / or can be made as photopolymerizable films as volume holograms. Diffraction microlens arrays and transmissive electronic displays can be fabricated with optical lenses, which can be part of glasses or attached to glasses. The transmissive electronic display may be a liquid crystal display. The transmissive electronic display may be an organic light emitting diode display, which may be a transparent organic light emitting diode display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention do.
Figures 1A-1C are diagrams of components generally included in prior art augmented reality glasses.
2 is a diagram of an imaging system suitable for displaying an electronically generated image in a conventional head-up display system.
Figure 3a is a diagram of a near eye display system in an embodiment in the form of glasses.
3B is a diagram of an embodiment of a near eye display system, which is suitable for use with glasses.
4-7 are light ray tracing diagrams illustrating light paths in a near eye display of an embodiment configured to focus light from an actual scene and light generated from an electronic display onto a human retina.
8 is a view of a hologram microlens array having a diffraction pattern suitable for use in a near eye display of an embodiment.
9 is a diagram of a near eye display system in an embodiment having a hologram microlens array configured to form an image close to the human eye such that the formed image appears at a distance from the human eye.
10 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary component of a head-mounted display (HMD) system of an embodiment.
11 is a block diagram of a mobile computing device suitable for use in various embodiments.

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Reference to specific embodiments and implementations is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the claims.

The word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. &Quot; Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary " is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

The terms "mobile device", "user equipment", and "handheld device" include but are not limited to a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal or mobile multimedia player, a personal digital assistant (PDA's), a laptop computer, Any one of the circuits among similar personal electronic devices including computers, wireless e-mail receivers, multimedia Internet enabled cellular phones, wireless game controllers, and programmable processors, circuits for transmitting and / or receiving memory and wireless communication signals Quot; or " all " are used interchangeably herein.

The term "pixel" is used herein to refer to the smallest individual element addressable in an electronic display device. In general, the larger the number of pixels per unit area, the higher the resolution of the electronic display device.

The phrase "head-up display" and its abbreviation "HUD " are used herein to refer to an electronic display system in which users provide information to the user without having to look at their usual point of view.

The term "near eye display" is used to refer to an optical display device that can be worn close to one or both eyes of a user. The near-eye display may include a contact lens, a pair of glasses, a head-mounted display (e.g., as part of a helmet or on a personal face), a head-up display, virtual reality glasses, augmented reality glasses, electronic goggles and other similar technologies / .

Due to recent advances in mobile device technology, users of mobile devices can now run powerful software applications, such as augmented reality software applications that combine computer generated images with real images in the user's physical environment, on their mobile devices have. An augmented reality application can add graphics, sound, and / or tactile feedback to the natural world surrounding the user of the application. Information about objects and / or people present in the user's physical environment may be retrieved from a database provided to the user on an electronic display to allow the user to view and / or interact with displays of real persons / objects. By way of example, a mobile device incremental reality application may capture an image of a building in the user's view of the mobile device, perform image matching or other operations to identify the building, retrieve information pertaining to the identified building from the database, And can overlay the retrieved information on the image of the building so that the user can view information in the context of the building. As another example, a mobile device augmented reality application may perform a face recognition operation to identify the presence of a human face in the vicinity of the user, to identify the person whose face is detected, and to identify (e.g., from a database Retrieve the avatar, website or information associated with the person being identified, and display the retrieved information proximate to the detected human face. While these new mobile device features, capabilities and applications (e.g., augmented reality applications) may be beneficial to the consumer, they also allow users to engage deeper with their mobile devices, And / or has the potential to isolate users from the real world.

Various embodiments provide a near-eye display in which electronic or computer-generated images can display electronic or computer-generated images on the glasses such that they appear superimposed on the actual scene (i.e., what the user can see without the glasses). This allows the user to view the generated image in the context of the actual scene without having to look away from his or her usual point of view. In an embodiment, the near-eye display is a lightweight and inconspicuous spectacle optical lens that can be worn very close to the human eye for a long period of time without causing significant eye fatigue or blocking the user ' Or contact lenses. Embedding the near-eye glasses display removes the volume and weight of the projection and long focal length displays used in conventional near-eye displays and head-up displays.

In an embodiment, the near-eye display may include a transmissive display and a diffractive microlens array. The transmissive display can be positioned very close to the diffractive microlens array so that the distance between the transmissive display and the diffractive microlens array is approximately equal to the focal length of the diffractive microlens array. In an embodiment, a certain percentage of the light emitted from the transmissive display is diffracted and collimated by the microlens array so that the display images appear to have originated at a distance of about 250 mm or more from the user when worn, The transmissive display can be positioned relative to the diffractive microlens array. The transmissive display can also be positioned relative to the diffractive microlens array such that the light passes through the transparent portion of the transmissive display without diffraction by the microlens array such that light from the actual scene can be seen by the user. Any light from the actual scene being diffracted by the microlens array will be out of focus of the human eye such that the diffracted light is ignored by the user's brain.

In general, the human eye functions by focusing rays through the lens onto a collection of photoreceptor cells in the human retina. Focusing of light is accomplished by contracting or relaxing a series of muscles that change the physical shape of the eye and eventually the distance between the lens and the retina. To focus on a nearby object, a normal human eye contracts various muscles to bulge the eye lens to reduce the distance between the lens and the retina. The closest distance the human eye can focus is from 10 cm (young) to 50 cm (elderly). When the muscles relax, the eyes are stretched and the eyes are "focused at infinity". When the publication distance (i.e., the distance between the generated image and the user ' s eye) is about two feet, the human eye is typically focused at infinity. The average human eye is much more comfortable when focusing on infinity than when focusing on a nearby object, and long focus on a nearby object usually causes eye fatigue. For these and other reasons, conventional display technologies and image generation techniques are not suitable for use in near eye displays such as glasses that are worn close to the eye (e.g., less than a few inches).

1A-1C illustrate various components of prior art incident reality glasses 100 configured to produce an electronic image close to the human eye. 1A shows that the augmented reality glasses 100 may include a frame 102, two optical lenses 106, a processor 114, a memory 116, and a projector 108. The projector 108 can be configured to be embedded in the arm portion 104 of the frame 102 and to project images onto the optical lens 106. [

Figure IB shows an exemplary component of a typical projector 108 that may be embedded in the arm portion 104 of the augmented reality glasses 100. The projector 108 includes a communication circuit 130, a light emitting diode (LED) module 132, a light tunnel 134, and a light emitting diode (LED) module 132 for transmitting information to and / A homogenizing lens 136, an optical display 138, a folding mirror 140, and other well known components typically included in prior art projectors. The LED module 132 produces a light beam traveling through the light tunnel 134 and the homogenizing lens 136 before being deflected towards the optical display 138. The optical display 138 combines the received light beam with other light beams (e.g., other colors) to produce an image. The generated image is reflected to the fold mirror 140 and proceeds to the optical lens 106 of the augmented reality glasses 100 through the collimator and / or the relay imaging system.

Due to the relatively short distance between the optical lens 106 and the user ' s lens, the relay imaging system can be used to focus the generated image on a user of all ages, Distance) to a distance greater than 50 cm.

1C shows components of a relay imaging system 160 suitable for displaying an image on an optical lens 106 of a prior art augmented reality glasses 100. The relay imaging system 160 extends the distance between the generated image and the user's eye so that the user can focus on the created image. 1C, the relay imaging system 160 includes a composite optical lens 162, a second lens 166, and a waveguide 168 having a first lens 164. The waveguide 168 includes a plurality of reflective sections 170 and a transparent section 172. The light beams from the optical display 138 enter the compound lens 162 through a collimator 174 that narrows the light beams and focuses them on the reflective section 170 of the waveguide 168. Until the light beams reach the transparent section 172 of the waveguide 168, the light beams are reflected at the reflective sections 170. The light beam passes through the transparent section 172 and passes through the first lens 164 onto the lens 180 and is focused on the user's retina 182 of the augmented reality glasses 100.

As described above, when the optical dis- tance distance is about 2 feet, the human eye is generally focused at infinity. Achieving this distance using relay optics often requires bulky lenses, which are uncomfortable to wear, eye-catching, invisible, heavy, and unattractive to the consumer do. In addition, the relay optics typically block a significant amount of incoming light from the actual scene, which may reduce the user ' s peripheral vision and / or isolate the user from the user ' s natural environment. Also, by blocking a significant amount of incoming light in a real scene, existing augmented reality solutions do not provide seamless integration between generated images and real scenes.

Another known technique for integrating projected images with real scenes is the head-up display. Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary imaging system 200 for displaying electronically generated images on a prior art head-up display configured to provide information to a user without the user having to look at his / her general point of view. 2 shows that light 202 emitted from the projector 108 may be reflected from the one or more mirrored or translucent portions 204 of the optical lens or windshield 206 onto the user / Respectively. Light 210 from the real scene may pass through the non-mirrored portion of the optical lens / windshield 206 that reaches the user's lens 180.

When the imaging system 200 is implemented in a prior art head-up display system, such as used in automobiles and aircraft, the image displayed on the projector 108 can be used to focus the user on the generated image , The user's eye can keep focus on infinity), and a considerable distance from the user's eyes (e.g., more than 2 feet). Thus, conventional head-up display solutions and techniques are not suitable for implementation in near eye displays such as glasses and contact lenses worn close to the user's eyes.

In the case of augmented reality glasses, projecting the generated image directly onto the glass surface of the optical lens will not form an image on the retina, and the use of a re-imaging lens will cause the actual scene to be distorted by the lens. When the generated image is projected on the side of the glasses, the light 210 from the actual scene and the light 202 from the projector do not overlap with the user's retina. Also, if the user's eye is focused on a real scene, the image from the projector will not be in the field of view of the user's eye, and vice versa. For these and other reasons, implementing the imaging system 200 on the near eye display does not provide for smooth integration between the real scene and the generated image.

In addition to the aforementioned limitations of the existing solutions, the relay imaging system described above can be used in a system where the light 202 emitted from the projector 108 is reflected by the reflective portions 170, 204 of the optical lens / windshield 162, The projector 108 needs to be positioned within or within the optical lens / windshield 162, In the case of augmented reality glasses, this is generally accomplished by placing the projector 180 in the frame 102, which is a thick, heavy, and / or consumer inconvenient, visible, It needs to be made of bulky material that can be found to be good, heavy, and otherwise unappealing. For these and other reasons, existing virtual / augmented reality systems and near eye display solutions are not suitable for use in near eye displays and / or appealing to consumers.

Various embodiments may be used to create a real scene (i.e., what a user would have seen without a display), such as an electronic or computer, so as to allow the user to view an image generated in the context of a real scene without causing significant eye fatigue, Provides a near-eye display that can be combined with the generated image. Various embodiments provide a near-eye display system that allows the human eye to simultaneously focus on both the real scene and the generated image by indefinitely relaying the generated image without the large volume of relay optics required in prior art solutions to provide. Various embodiments smoothly integrate the actual scene with the generated image in a manner that does not cause eye fatigue or user distraction / isolation.

Figure 3A shows the components of the near eye display system 300 of the embodiment in the form of glasses 306. The eyeglasses 306 may be any type of eyewear, wireframe, plastic frame, wood frame, hornblende, browline, sunglasses, safety glasses, sunglasses, or any other type of spectacles or spectacles available now or in the future . In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the glasses 306 include a frame 306 that supports the optical lens 304 in front of the user's eyes. The frame 306 may be constructed of a lightweight material (e.g., polymer, alloy, metal, wood, etc.) suitable for supporting the optical lens 304 in front of the user's eyes. The optical lens 304 may be any of a variety of types, including prescription lenses, non-prescription lenses, vision correction lenses, magnifying lenses, polarizing lenses, tinted lenses, photochromic lenses, And may be any other type of spectacle lens.

The optical lens 304 may include a near eye display 302. The near eye display 302 may include a transmissive display 308 and a diffractive microlens array 310. In an embodiment, the near-eye display 302 is configured to allow the incoming light from the actual scene to pass through the optical lens 304 to pass through the transmissive display 308 and the microlens array 310, before reaching the user & As shown in FIG.

The near eye display 302 may include two substrate layers 314 and / or spacers 312 positioned between the transmissive display 308 and the diffractive microlens array 310. In some embodiments, The substrate layer 314 may be glass, plastic, or any other suitable transparent or translucent substrate known in the art. The spacers 312 may be solid spacers (e.g., glass, plastic, etc.), liquid spacers (e.g., liquid crystals, etc.), or gas spacers (e.g., air, titanium oxide, etc.).

In various embodiments, the near eye display 302 may be fabricated such that the spacers 312 have a thickness of 200 microns, 100 microns, 10 microns, and the like. In an embodiment, the near eye display 302 may be fabricated to have a total thickness of about 1 millimeter or less. In an embodiment, the near-eye display 302 may be manufactured such that the distance between the transmissive display 308 and the diffractive microlens array 310 is substantially the same as the focal length of the diffractive microlens array 310. In an embodiment, the near eye display 302 may be fabricated such that each microlens of the microlens array 310 is approximately the same size as the pixel.

The microlens array 310 may be a partially diffractive and partially transparent diffractive optical element (DOE) having a phase profile and diffraction efficiency. In an embodiment, the microlens array 310 may be fabricated to have a diffraction efficiency of about 50%. In an embodiment, the microlens array 310 is configured such that approximately 50% of the light from the actual scene is unaffected by the microlenses and the remaining approximately 50% of the light is transmitted through the transmissive display 308 at a distance of approximately 250 mm or more from the user & To form a virtual image of the image. In an embodiment, the diffraction efficiency of the microlens array 310 may be proportional to the phase profile of the microlens array 310.

The transmissive display 308 can be any electronic image display that is transparent or translucent and / or uses ambient light as an illumination source. The transmissive display 308 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), surface conduction electron emitting displays (SEDs), electroluminescent , Plasma display panels (PDPs), field emission displays (FEDs), nanotube field effect displays, micro mirror displays, microelectromechanical (MEMS) displays, electrochromic displays, electrophoretic displays, and / And may include or utilize any or all of a variety of commercially available display or display technologies, including other similar display technologies that are available or may be developed in the future.

In an embodiment, the transmissive display 308 may be a transmissive or partially transmissive liquid crystal display device. In summary, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is an electronic display that uses the light modulation properties of the liquid crystal in which the light reflectance and / or transmittance of the liquid crystal changes when an electric field is applied. The liquid crystal may be arranged to form pixels in a transparent or semitransparent liquid crystal display device. Liquid crystal displays generally do not produce light and require illumination from a light source or ambient light to produce a visible image. In an embodiment, the transmissive display 308 may be a liquid crystal display that produces a visible image from ambient light.

Figure 3B shows the components of the near eye display system 350 of an embodiment suitable for inclusion in spectacles. Near eye display system 350 may include a transmissive display 308, a diffractive microlens array 310, two substrate layers 314, and spacers 312. The transmissive display 308 may be illuminated by a frontlight illuminator 352 that includes a light source (e.g., an LED) coupled to the substrate 314 from the substrate side. Light can propagate inside the substrate 314 through internal total reflection and be reflected toward the LCD through small reflectors distributed on one of the substrate 314 surfaces. The distribution of small reflectors can be designed to provide uniform and efficient illumination to the LCD.

In various embodiments, the transmissive display 308 may be a liquid crystal display that does not include a front light, includes a partial front light, or includes a front light that illuminates a liquid crystal display from a front substrate.

In an embodiment, the transmissive display 308 can be, for example, an electronic display that uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) as an illumination source to produce a visible image on a liquid crystal display. In an embodiment, the transmissive display 308 may be a partially transmissive LED display.

The light emitting diode is a semiconductor light source that can be used to generate a visible image and / or as front light for a display device. Light emitting diodes generally comprise a semiconductor material doped with impurities to produce a p-n junction. When a voltage or current is applied to the light emitting diode, electrons and holes (i.e., charge-carriers) flow from the electrodes (i.e., the anode and cathode) to the p-n junction. When electrons meet holes, electrons release energy through the emission of photons and produce visible light.

In an embodiment, the transmissive display 308 may be an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. In conventional light emitting diodes, semiconductor materials are typically formed from a variety of inorganic materials (e.g., InGaN, GaP, GaN, phosphors, etc.). An organic light emitting diode (OLED) is a light emitting diode in which an organic semiconductor material is located between two electrodes (i.e., an anode and a cathode), all of which are disposed on a substrate (e.g., glass, plastic, foil, . OLED displays can be completely transparent or translucent and do not consume significant amounts of power when they do not require a backlight and do not produce a visible image (e.g., when off). OLEDs can be printed on various substrates and can be used independently or in conjunction with liquid crystal display technology.

For ease of reference, throughout the present application, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is used as an exemplary technique used by the transmissive display 408. It should be borne in mind, however, that the use of LCD terms in this application is for the purpose of illustration only and is not to be construed as limiting the claim to a specific technology unless explicitly stated by the claims.

4-7 illustrate the light path in the near eye display 400 of an embodiment configured to simultaneously focus the light from the real scene and the light generated from the electronic display to the human retina. 4-7, the near eye display 400 includes a transmissive display 308, a spacer 312, and a diffractive microlens array 310. The transmissive display 308, The microlens array 310 may be a partially diffractive and partially transparent diffractive optical element (DOE) fabricated to diffract a certain fraction (e.g., about 50%, etc.) of light entering the lens optical path.

The near-eye display 302 may be manufactured such that the distance between the transmissive display 308 and the diffractive microlens array 310 is approximately equal to the focal length of the diffractive microlens array 310. [ In an embodiment, near eye display 400 may be fabricated such that about fifty (50) percent of the light emitted from each pixel (or group of pixels) 410 is diffracted and collimated to focus on retina 182 . In an embodiment, the near-eye display 302 can be manufactured such that the ratio of the light focused on the retina 182 is proportional to the diffraction efficiency of the microlens array 310.

4 shows that light 412 from the real scene passes through the transparent portion of the transmissive display 308 without changing to the microlens array 310. [ A first percentage (e.g., 50%) of light 412 from the real scene passing unaltered through the transparent portion of the transmissive display 308 is diffracted by the microlens array 310, (E.g., 50%) of the second lens array 412 is not diffracted by the microlens array 310. Near eye display 400 can be fabricated such that diffracted light 416 is out of focus on the retina and is neglected by the human retina 182 as scattered light or background noise. Light 412 (i.e., undiffracted light 406) from the actual scene that is not diffracted by the microlens array 310 is focused on the retina 182 by the lens in a conventional manner.

When the LCD is used as the transmissive display 308 and ambient light is used as an illumination source, the pixels in the off state may be transparent while the pixels in the on state block or partially block the ambient light passing through the display. In this configuration, most of the LCD pixels that do not display information are transparent and make the actual scene visible to the wearer, while a small amount of pixel display image (e.g., text, etc.) , Direction of the map, etc.).

Figure 5 illustrates an example in which when light is applied to an illumination source (e.g., an LED, etc.) of the transmissive display 308 and / or when pixels 410 are turned on, Showing that light travels through the pixels 410 of the transmissive display 308 to the microlens array 310. (E.g., about 50%) of the emitted light 408 from the transmissive display 308 is diffracted (i.e., diffracted light 404) by the microlens array 310 and transmitted through the transmissive display 308 (E.g., about 50%) of the emitted light 408 from the second lens array (not shown) is not diffracted by the microlens array 310 (i.e., undiffracted light 405). Near eye display 400 can be fabricated such that diffracted light 404 is collimated and then focused by retina 180 onto retina 182 and undiffracted light 405 is scattered on human retina 182 The undiffracted light 405 is passed out of focus so that it can be ignored as light or background noise. This can be achieved by manufacturing the near eye display 302 such that the distance between the transmissive display 308 and the diffractive microlens array 310 is substantially equal to the focal distance of the diffractive microlens array 310.

6 shows that undiffracted light 406 from the real scene and diffracted light 404 from the transmissive display 308 are focused on the human retina 182 at the same time. As described above, light 412 (i.e., undiffracted light 406) from an actual scene that passes unaltered through the transparent portion of transmissive display 308 and is not diffracted by microlens array 310, Is naturally collimated because the light source is at infinity; The light is then focused on retina 182 by lens 180 in a conventional manner. As described above, the near-eye display 400 is configured such that light 408 (i.e., diffracted light 404) emitted from the transmissive display 308 and diffracted by the microlens array 310 is incident on the microlens 310 And then focused on the retina 182 by the lens 180. [0040] In an embodiment, the near eye display 400 is configured to emit light from the transmissive display 308 and diffracted by the microlens array 310 in such a manner that the display pixels can form a virtual image at a distance of about 250 mm or more from the eye (408) is focused on the retina (182).

7 shows that diffracted light 416 from the real scene and undiffracted light 405 from the transmissive display 308 are not focused on the retina 182 and / or are ignored by the human brain with scattered light or background noise Lt; / RTI > That is, due to the distance between the transmissive display 308 and the diffractive microlens array 310 (e.g., approximately the same as the focal length of the diffractive microlens array 310), the diffracted light 416 becomes a background noise The diffracted light 416 is diffracted out of focus so that it can be ignored by the retina. Similarly, due to the proximity of the transmissive display 308 to the lens 180, the undiffracted light 405 originating from the transmissive display 308 may also be out of focus and / or as background noise by the retina 182 Ignored.

In various embodiments, the diffraction efficiency of the microlens array 310 can be controlled by fabricating the microlens array 310 to have a plurality of deviations and / or a specific phase profile with various depths, The size can be diffracted and / or the ratio of light focused on the retina 182 can be controlled. In an embodiment, the microlens array 410 can be shaped such that another ~ 50% of the light from the display pixels is nearly collimated, in such a way that the display pixels can form a virtual image at a distance of about 250 mm or more from the eye have.

In an embodiment, the microlens array 310 can be fabricated on a glass substrate using lithography methods similar to those used for silicon chip fabrication. In this embodiment, very small lenses may be formed on the glass substrate by selective etching using photolithography prior to an etch process, such as etching, to transfer the phase profile on the glass surface. Photolithography techniques may be used to form the small lens structure of the microlens array 310. [ The lens structure may include a small lens that covers about 50% of the surface area of each lens while the remainder of the surface area may be formed so that light can pass through the lens without being diffracted.

In an embodiment, the microstructure of the microlens array fabricated by the photolithographic technique can cover about 100% of the surface area of each lens while the diffraction efficiency of each lens is about 50%. In this configuration, 50% of the incoming light will be diffracted and 50% of the incoming light will not be diffracted. As such, 50% of the light from the display pixels and 50% of the light from the real scene will be simultaneously focused on the retina.

In an embodiment, the microlenses and / or microlens array 310 may be fabricated using a holographic method. The microlens and / or microlens array 310 may include a volume holographic microlens fabricated to focus an electronic image on the retina, eliminating image cross-talk between adjacent lenses. For example, volume hologram microlenses may be fabricated such that only light from pixels associated with these companion lens elements of the microlens array is diffracted and light from adjacent pixels is not diffracted without satisfying Bragg conditions . In an embodiment, the microlens array 310 may be a hologram microlens array fabricated through a hologram recording method through coherent interference of two waves.

In an embodiment, the microlens array 310 may be a hologram microlens array fabricated through a hologram recording method through coherent interference of two waves. In an embodiment, the hologram microlens array 310 can be fabricated by recording a hologram in a holographic medium, e.g., a photopolymer film, to produce an optical diffraction optical element. The diffraction efficiency of the hologram microlens array 310 can be controlled by varying the exposure time of the photopolymer to achieve precise refractive index modulation. The hologram microlens may be fabricated on a photopolymer film that may be applied to the back side of the transmissive display 308. In an embodiment, the photopolymer film can be between about 10 micrometers in thickness and about 30 micrometers in thickness. In embodiments, the photopolymer film may be less than about 10 microns in thickness.

8 is a diagram for recording a hologram microlens array 802 having a diffraction pattern suitable for use in a near eye display of an embodiment. The hologram microlens array 802 includes one path that originates from points located where the two path-transmissive displays will be associated with the photographic film 804, and a source from which the distance from the hologram microlens array is 250 mm or more (e.g., Lt; / RTI > to the light from a laser that follows the other path from the source (e.g., the real scene). The hologram microlens array 802 is configured such that the light waves from these two sources (i.e., the transmissive display and the source) are diffracted to produce a hologram optical element in the form of a hologram microlens array 802 . ≪ / RTI >

In an embodiment, the microlens array 310 may be fabricated using a hologram printing technique. The holographic printer can calculate that the interference fringe pattern corresponds to the interference of the two waves shown in Figure 8 and records the fringe with the focused beam (or beams) on the photosensitive material that will change the index of refraction after exposure to light.

9 shows that when light from a display pixel 410 located at the focal point or focus point of the recording wave near hologram 802 collides against photographic film 802, the image looks more than 250 mm away from lens 180 Hologram microlens array 802 can form a virtual image of pixel 410 so that the eye can see the image as it is being focused and / or infinitely focused.

One of the advantages of including volume holograms as microlens arrays is the ability of volume holograms to eliminate pixel crosstalk, since light from neighboring pixels will not be able to reconstruct virtual image waves due to Bragg mismatch. Diffractive optical lenses can be associated with chromatic aberrations that affect the quality of the retina. Since the aberration is linearly proportional to the focal length of the lens (having a fixed F number), when the size of the lens is small, the aberration can be remarkably reduced.

In various embodiments, the hologram microlens array 802 may be a diffractive optical lens with a narrowband response capable of eliminating chromatic aberration. In an embodiment, the microlens array may be fabricated to include a sufficiently narrow band diffractive lens in which light from a narrow spectral band is "seen" in the hologram and is diffracted to form a sharp image in the retina, while light outside the spectral band, And will not be affected. Such a diffractive lens can be made of a volume hologram.

In various embodiments, the near eye display may be included as part of a head mounted display (HMD) system (e.g., a helmet, glasses, etc.) And / or a camera, or it may be configured to operate as an accessory to a mobile device processor (e.g., a processor of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a smartphone, etc.).

10 illustrates exemplary components of a head mounted display (HMD) system 1000 of an embodiment. The head-mounted display system 1000 includes glasses 1010 configured to act as an accessory to the mobile device 1020. The glasses 1010 include an optical lens 1002 with a near eye display 302 and a wireless radio 1004 and / or wireless interface for transmitting and / or receiving information to and from the mobile device 1020 and / / RTI > and / or circuitry. Near eye display system 1000 also includes one or more sensors 1006 such as a camera, microphone, eye tracking component, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetic sensor, optical sensor, mechanical or electronic level sensor, inertial sensor, electronic compass, And other known sensors that may be included in modern mobile electronic devices. Information collected from the sensor 1006 may be transmitted to the mobile device 1020 coupled to the glasses 1010 via the wireless radio 1004 Lt; / RTI >

In various embodiments, the sensor 1006 may include one or more sensors for scanning or collecting information (e.g., light, location of objects, etc.) from the user's environment (e.g., a room, etc.) Distance measuring sensors (e.g., laser or sonic range finder) configured to measure distances to various existing objects, sensors that detect user input, near-eye displays (e.g., by sensing the direction of gravity) (E.g., from a viewpoint viewpoint), and / or left / right direction and movement of the user's head, the top / bottom / horizontal orientation of the user's head 302, the head position / orientation of the user's head. In an embodiment, the sensor 1006 is configured to determine whether such a device is capable of receiving a user input, such as a vocal voice command, a gesture (e.g., hand movement), an eye movement, Instructions, or other types of inputs that enable the computer to execute commands or operations.

In an embodiment, the sensors 1006 may include an eye tracking component configured to track the position of the user ' s eye relative to the near eye display 302. [ The eye tracking component may be configured to allow the mobile device processor 1012 to generate images for display on the near eye display 302 based on the actual images present on the user ' s eye position and / And may communicate with the mobile device 1020. The eye tracking component can also detect eye movements (flicker, left motion, right motion, upward motion, downward motion, etc.) as a source of user input and can communicate detected user input to mobile device 1020 have. In an embodiment, the eye tracking component may be configured to obtain an image of the user's eye and may determine the location of the pupil in the orbit.

In an embodiment, the sensors 1006 may include a microphone for capturing user verbal input or commands that may be communicated to the mobile device 1020 via the wireless radio 1004. The processor 1012 can receive the audio signal from the microphone and process the received audio signal using a speech recognition process / technique. In an embodiment, the processor 1012 may be configured to compare the received audio signal with the audio patterns of one or more instructions stored in memory to recognize the voice command. For example, processor 1012 may be configured to monitor audio input for some predetermined command words. Processor 1012 may apply a detection algorithm to the received audio such that the processor responds only to commands (e.g., "computer" or "executable") that are advanced by a particular predefined voice command or predefined caution command . The processor 1012 can be configured to recognize these spoken words as command inputs and to implement corresponding actions to update the images displayed on the near eye display 302. [

In an embodiment, the main processing of the head mounted display system 1000 may be performed on the processor 1012 of the mobile device 1020. In an embodiment, the processor 1012 may estimate the distance to objects (e.g., via triangulation of stereo images), perform facial recognition tasks, identify the logos, perform a keyword or photo search Such as analyzing images captured by the sensors 1006 (e.g., a camera), for example, as shown in FIG.

In an embodiment, the processor 1012 may be configured to generate a virtual object for display on the near eye display 302. The processor 1012 may be configured to calculate display related parameters, including the distance and direction to the sensor 1006, corresponding to the display position of the virtual object. The virtual object may be any virtual object, including, for example, text, graphics, images, and 3D shapes. When presented on the near eye display 302, the virtual object is moved to a designated location within the surrounding environment / to allow the user to interact with the virtual object and / or to create an augmented reality experience Lt; / RTI > Sensors 1006 may enable natural interactions with virtual objects and digital assets (e.g., documents, pictures, videos, etc.) through gestural control, touch manipulation, highlighting of virtual objects, Recognizable gestures may be selected from the group consisting of forking, panning, tapping, pushing, guiding, flicking, turning, rotating, glazing and pulling, panning images, drawing (e.g., finger painting) And may be stored or configured in the form of a gestural dictionary that stores motion data or patterns to recognize gestures, including formation (e.g., an "OK" symbol) and two hands spread out to perform swipings Can be accomplished by addressing, in close proximity to or at an apparent location of the virtual object of the generated display (relative to the user).

11 is a system block diagram of a mobile device suitable for use with any embodiment. A typical mobile device 1100 may include a processor 1101 coupled to an internal memory 1102, a display 1103 and a speaker 1154. The mobile device 1100 also includes an antenna 1104 for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves and a mobile 1104 coupled to the processor 1101, which may be coupled to the wireless data link and / or cellular telephone transceiver 1105 coupled to the processor 1101, And a multimedia broadcast receiver 1106. Mobile device 1100 generally also includes menu select buttons or rocker switches 1108 for receiving user input.

The processor 1101 may be a programmable microprocessor, microcomputer, or multiprocessor chip or chips, which may be configured by software instructions (applications) to perform various functions, including the functions of the various embodiments described above. have. In some devices, a plurality of processors 1101 may be provided, such as one processor dedicated to executing wireless communications functions and one processor dedicated to executing other applications. Generally, the software applications may be stored in the embedded memory 1102 before the software applications are accessed and loaded into the processor 1101. [ The processor 1101 may include sufficient internal memory to store application software instructions. In many devices, the internal memory may be a volatile or non-volatile memory, such as a flash memory, or a mixture of the two. For purposes of this description, a general reference to memory refers to memory accessible by processor 1101, including internal memory or removable memory that is plugged into memory and devices in processor 1101 itself.

The method descriptions and process flow diagrams are provided solely for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to imply or imply that the steps of the various embodiments should be performed in the order presented. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the order of steps in the above embodiment may be performed in any order. The words "after "," next ", "next ", and the like do not attempt to limit the order of the steps; These words are simply used to guide the reader through a description of the method. Also, any reference to an element in singular form, for example, using the singular forms, should not be construed as limiting the element to a singular value.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The hardware used to implement various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) Gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented in a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Alternatively, some steps or methods may be performed by a circuit specific to a given function.

In one or more of the exemplary aspects, the described functions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer readable medium or non-transitory processor readable medium. The steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executable software module that may reside in a non-transitory computer readable or processor readable storage medium. Non-volatile computer readable or processor readable storage media can be any type of storage medium that can be accessed by a computer or processor. By way of example, and not limitation, such non-transitory computer readable or processor readable media can be RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, Or any other medium which can be used to store the desired program code in the form of a computer program and which can be accessed by a computer. Disks and discs as used herein include, but are not limited to, compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVD), floppy discs and Blu-ray discs, While reproducing magnetically, discs optically reproduce data using a laser. The above combinations are also included within the scope of non-transient computer readable and processor readable media. In addition, the operations of the method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on non-transitory processor readable media and / or computer readable media that may be included in the computer program product .

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features, principles, and claims hereinafter set forth herein.

Claims (17)

As a near-eye display,
A transmissive electronic display; And
A diffractive microlens array configured to diffract a certain percentage of incoming light to form a virtual image of the display at a distance greater than or equal to 250 mm from the human eye,
Wherein the distance between the transmissive electronic display and the microlens array is approximately the focal length of the microlens array,
Near eye display. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the diffractive microlens array is partially diffractive and partially transmissive. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transmissive electronic display comprises a plurality of pixels and wherein the diffractive microlens array is positioned relative to the pixels such that approximately 50 percent of the light emitted from each pixel is diffracted into the focal point on the retina of the human eye, display. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transmissive electronic display comprises a plurality of transparent portions and wherein the diffractive microlens array is arranged such that light from a real scene is positioned relative to the transmissive electronic display such that light passes through the transparent portion of the transmissive display unaltered, . 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the diffractive microlens array is positioned relative to the transmissive electronic display such that approximately fifty percent of the light from the real scene passes through the diffractive microlens array and forms an image in the retina of the human eye. . 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the diffractive microlens array is positioned relative to the transmissive electronic display such that approximately 50 percent of the light from the real scene is diffracted by the microlens array out of focus of the retina of the human eye. The method according to claim 1,
The diffractive microlens array is manufactured on a glass substrate. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the diffractive microlens array is manufactured as a photopolymerizable film as a volume hologram. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the diffractive microlens array and the transmissive electronic display are made of optical lenses. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transmissive electronic display is a liquid crystal display. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transmissive electronic display is an organic light emitting diode display. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the organic light emitting diode display is a transparent organic light emitting diode display. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transmissive electronic display is attached to the eyeglass. As a near-eye display,
Means for displaying a computer generated image in close proximity to a human eye and partially permitting visible distant scenes:
Means for diffracting a percentage of light from the computer generated image to form a virtual image at a distance greater than or equal to 250 mm from said human eye.
Near eye display. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the means for diffracting a proportion of light from the computer generated image to form the virtual image comprises means for partially diffracting light from the computer generated image and means for partially diffracting light from the far distance A near-eye display. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the means for displaying a computer generated image comprises means for generating a plurality of pixels,
Wherein the means for diffracting a proportion of light from the computer generated image to form the virtual image comprises means for diffracting approximately 50 percent of the light emitted from each pixel to a focus on the retina of the human eye , Near-eye display. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the means for displaying the computer generated image comprises a plurality of transparent portions,
Wherein the means for diffracting a percentage of the light from the computer generated image to form the virtual image comprises means for preventing light from the far scene passing through the plurality of transparent portions from being altered, .

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